Adhesive terminal for tape measures



Aug. 17, 1954 A. BERKOVIC ADHESIVE TERMINAL FOR TAPE MEASURES INVENTOR.FL .5

8 3Q r-s. ABRAHAM senuovuc 729m Amy/2+0 ATTOQNEY5 Patented Aug. 17,1954

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADHESIVE TERMINAL FOR TAPE MEASURES AbrahamBerkovic, Philadelphia, Pa. Application July 11, 1952, Serial No.298,264

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to terminals or handles for tape measures andother measuring devices, such as yard sticks and "ulers, and moreparticularly to a terminal which will releasably adher to textilefabrics and maintain the corresponding end of an associated measuringdevice at a selected position relative to a piece of fabric beingmeasured.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved terminalhandle for a tape line or measure which can be placed on a piece oftextile fabric and will adhere to the fabric at the selected locationsso that the associated tape measure can be stretched from the handle tomeasure the fabric without moving the handle reiative to the fabric;which does not damage the fabric in any way and can be quickly andeasily removed from the fabric when desired; which is detachablyconnected to a tape measure so that the tape measure can be replacedwhen desired; which is of light weight and small size and easy to handleby an operator, such as a tailor fitting garments to customers; whiclprovides reel or spool on which the tape measure can be wound forconvenience in transportation and storage; and which is simple anddurable in construction, and economical to manufacture, positive andeffective in use, and neat and attractive in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a conside *ationof the following description the appended claims in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing wherein:

F}, is l. a somewhat diagrammatic elevational View showing the terminalhandle and an associated tap measure applied to a garment worn hy aperson or model;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the terminal handle;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view the line E-3 of Figure2;

F'gure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line i:'! ofFigure 3;

"gure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view e line E-Ei of Figure 2;and

exploded perspective View of the terminal handle and associated tapemeasure.

With continued reference to the drawing, the tape measure or tape lineit is of well known form, such as is conventionally used by tailors anddressmakers, and may comprise a length of fabric tape having indicia oflineal measurement imprinted thereon. Such tapes are usually fromone-hali to three-quarters of an inch in width and may have a length offrom three to six feet divided by the indicia thereon into feet, inchesand fractional parts of inches.

The terminal handle, generally indicated at i l, is preferably formed ofa suitable material, such as a synthetic resin plastic, by a suitablemolding or die-casting operation and includes a hollow housing I2 and asubstantially solid body l3 removahly disposed in the housing l2.

The housing I2 is a thin walled structure of elongated, rectangularcross sectional shape and includes fiat faced walls is and is disposedin spaced apart relationship and substantially parallel to each othertransversely of the housing and side walls [6 and il extending betweenthe corresponding edges of the face walls is and !5, the side wallshaving a width materially less than the face walls. The housing 52 isopen at both ends and tapers in both width and thickness from a locationadjacent one end to the other end thereof, the side walls [5 and I;preferably being concavely curved. At the smaller end or the housing theside walls l6 and i? are extended to provide spaced apart tabs I3 and isof substantially semi-circular shape and the face wall id terminatessomewhat short of the remaining walls at the larger end of the housingand is provided in its end at the larger end of the housing with a notch20 of rectangular shape having a length only slightly less than thewidth of the larger end of the housing and a width of at least one-halfits length.

The face wall I5 is provided with transversely extending slots 2! and 22disposed one near the smaller end and one near the larger end of thehousing and substantially perpendicularly bisected by the longitudinalcenter line of the housing wall l5. These slots 2! and 22 have a lengthslightly greater than the width of the tape measure it and the tapemeasure extends through these slots at spaced apart locations the endthereof carrying the zero end of the scale of lineal measurementthereon. Between each of the slots 2| and 22 and the adjacent ends ofthe housing 12 the tape measure is disposed at the inner side of thewall 15 of the housing and between the slots it is disposed at the outerside of the housing wall, as illustrated in Figure The body I 3 is alsoof elongated, rectangular cross sectional shape and may comprise a solidbody or a hollow shell having a core or filter the ein, as illustratedin Figures 3 and 4, and tapered from one end to the other, It fitsclosely into the housing l2 and has at its smaller end laterallyprojecting detents 23 and 24 which engage shoulders 25 and 25 at thesmaller end of the housing with a snap action to secure the body I3 inthe housing. At its larger end the body I3 is provided with a recess 2!of rectangular shape which registers with the notch 20 in the face wallI4 of the housing with the body I3 fully received in the housing and isprovided at its larger end with an end wall 28 having a flange 29 whichoverlies the adjacent end of the recess 21. A rectangular block 30 of aperforable and somewhat resilient material, such as felt, is disposed inthe recess 2? and has one edge received in a groove 3| provided in thebody adjacent the back wall 32 of the body and at the side of the recess2'! remote from the end wall 28. lhe back wall 32 closes the side of therecess 2? remote from the housing wall I4 and provides a support for theblock 30.

At its edge remote from the groove 35 the block 30 bears against theinner side of the end wall 28 and a plurality of wire staples 33 aresecured in the block with their intermediate portions against the innerside of the back wall 32 of the body i 3 and their legs projectingperpendicularly from the side of the block 33 remote from the back wall32. These legs 35 terminate in pointed ends disposed substantially inthe plane of the outer surface of the face wall it of the housing andthe outer end portions of the legs 3% of the staples are inclined indirection away from the flange 2% of the end Wall 23, as illustrated inFigure 3.

The legs 3 of the staples 33 constitute pins which extend substantiallyperpendicularly from the block 3G in uniformly spaced apart andsubstantially parallel relationship to each other and are engageable attheir outer, pointed ends with the fibres of a piece of textile fabric,such as the garment 35 illustrated in Figure l, to cause the terminalhandle ii of the tape measure to releasably adhere to the fabric so thatthe tape measure is can be stretched from the handle to measure thepiece of fabric.

Buttons 38 and 3? are secured one to each of the side walls i and ll ofthe handle near the larger end of the handle to provide finger grips forconveniently applyin the handle to and removing it from a piece offabric to be measured and the staple legs or pins 35 are formed of wireof very small diameter in proportion to the area of the notch 25 in thehousing I2, this wire being of substantially the same diameter as thatused for carding needles in wool or cotton carding machines, and thegroup of pins or staples will adhere firmly to a piece of textile fabricwithout damage to the fabric. The inclination of the outer ends of thepins causes the pins to set deeper into the fabric when a pull isexerted on the tape measure iii and enable the handle to be easilyreleased from the fabric without damage thereto by moving the handleoutwardly from the fabric and in a direction opposite the direction ofthe pull of the tape measure on the handle.

In using the device the terminal handle can be caused to adhere to thefabric at any desired location leavin both hands of the operator free tohold the tape line and apply chalk marks, pins or other markers to thefabric being measured.

The two lugs 88 and i9 constitute guides for holding the tape measure onthe smaller end of the handle when the tape measure is wound around thehandle over the smaller end of the housing I2 and over the end wall 28of the filler body I3 to provide a compact package for transportation orstorage. When the tape measure is wound on the handle it covers theouter ends of the pins or staples 3% so that, in this condition, thedevice may be carried in the pocket, if desired, without adhering to thepocket lining.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims, are therefore, intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:

1. A handle for a tape measure comprising a hollow housing of elongatedshape having open ends and a notch at one end thereof and adapted to beconnected to a tape measure in a manner such that the tape measureextends from the other end of said housing, a body of elongated shapereceived in said housing and having at one end a recess registering withsaid notch in the housing, and means disposed in the recess in said bodyand exposed through the notch in said housing effective to cause saidhandle to adhere to an object to be measured by the associated tapemeasure.

2. A handle for a tape measure comprising an elongated body having atone end a recess having an open side and adapted to be connected to atape measure in a manner such that the tape measure extends from theother end of said body, a fiat block disposed in said recess and securedto said. body, and a plurality of pins disposed in said recess in spacedapart and substantially parallel relationship to each other and securedeach at one end to said block, said pins having their other endsdisposed substantially in a common plane parallel to the adjacent faceof said flat block and exposed at the open side of said recess forengaging a body of textile fabric and causin said handle to adhere tothe fabric body.

3. A handle for a tape measure comprising an elongated body having atone end a recess having an open side and adapted to be connected to atape measure in a manner such that the tape measure extends from theother end thereof, a hollow housing receiving said body and havingtherein a notch registering with said recess, a flat block disposed insaid recess and secured to said body, and a plurality of pins disposedin said recess in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationshipto each other and secured each at one end to said block, said pinsextending at their other ends through the notch in said housing andadapted to engage a body of textile fabric to cause said handle toadhere to the fabric body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

